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BC THE ORGANIC WAY by Marya Skrypiczajko
Sometimes I wonder how many calories of energy are spent producing the food that I consume: the 97-calorie apple from the Okanagan Valley, the 381-calorie date square made from prairie oats and tropical dates, or the 292-calorie cheese sandwich with cheddar from a small, organic farm in rural Quebec. The calculations are too daunting for me to tackle, but given that food travels an average distance of 2,000 kilometres from farm to fork, stopping enroute at various production and distribution facilities, I can guess that the calories spent to produce and transport this food outweigh the calories I eventually consume. The environmental impact of such journeys is huge.
This was not always the case. In the early 1900s, the majority of North Americans lived in rural areas. One-third of the total population were farmers, and almost everyone had their own garden and chicken coop. Those were the days when people knew their local milkman and butcher, when exotic foods were only eaten on special occasions, and when late summer was one continuous canning bee for housewives nationwide. Now that less than two percent of the population are farmers, and only five percent are serious vegetable gardeners, people get their food from a few large farms that dominate the agricultural market. However, with the continuous rise of fuel prices, food that is not sourced locally will be more expensive, and people will be forced to rethink how, and where, they acquire what they eat.
A recent joint study, undertaken by the University of Essex and City University in Britain, shows that the current food consumption patterns of average British citizens have an annual environmental cost attached of 4 billion pounds to the British economy. Environmental costs considered included farms not using organic methods, transportation from farms to grocery stores, consumers travelling to grocery stores, and government subsidies for farmers. Together, these externalities undervalue the true cost of food by 12 percent. Study researchers believe that environmental costs would drop from 1.5 billion pounds annually to 400 million if all UK farmers went organic, from 2.3 billion to 230 million if all foods were sourced within 20 kilometres, and from 1.3 billion to 100 million if shopping by car were replaced by walking, cycling, or bus travel.
Yet, even if we try to buy local and organic foods, we cannot avoid some environmental costs. In Canada, 85 to 90 percent of organic foods are imported, the growing season in most areas of the country is fairly short, and our climate does not support a wide enough array of agricultural crops to keep most Canadians satisfied. Aside from actual luxury items, we import all of our olive oil, coffee, and tea, as well as many fruits and vegetables.
This past spring, Vancouver couple Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon decided to attempt what they term the 100 Mile Diet for one year. They planned to source 100 percent of their food from within 100 miles of their home. Their objective was to support the local economy, based on organics and sustainability, and cut greenhouse gas production by eliminating the need for global transportation. Curious observers have been able to follow their experience online at http://thetyee.ca
For these two near-vegans, the challenge began at breakfast when they discovered that very few grains are actually grown in the Lower Mainland, and almost all the fruits and vegetables sold in retail stores – especially during the long, non-growing season – come from too far away to fit their program. Someone suggested they go back to eating eggs, as chickens lay eggs everywhere, but they discovered that almost none of the local chickens ate local feed. They looked forward to the summer season of fresh fruit and making fruit preserves to save for next winter, but then realized the prohibitive cost of all the honey (sugar originating from the tropics, for example) they would have to buy.
Eventually, similar dilemmas pushed them to seek beyond their normal, grocery-shopping routine and into the fields to meet the local farmers. There they discovered that some grains are grown near Vancouver, that the UBC Farm raises chickens on local feed, and that if you look hard enough, an enormous range of vegetables and fruits are produced locally, with some grown year-round in greenhouses.
Unfortunately, the great gap that exists between the farmer and the average consumer fosters a serious disconnect between consumers and their food supply. Most people are completely unaware of who produces their food, what the fields and barns look like, or what methods the producers use. It follows that this level of disconnect leads to a lack of interest in agricultural philosophy, including the number of calories it takes to produce and deliver one’s daily groceries.
Maybe we should all challenge ourselves to the 100 Mile Diet for just a couple of weeks. It would be way more fun than another trip to the gas station.
Marya Skrypiczajko is the author of BC the Organic Way – Where to Find Organic Food in British Columbia
www.bctheorganicway.com
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